Luzhou Moon - Chapter 146
Mingyu stared blankly at Lian Junchu's pained expression, as if she were seeing Lian Haichao's powerless state due to heart palpitations years ago. She abandoned Zixiao and Yingluo, crawled to his feet, and said with furrowed brows and tears in her eyes, "Island Lord, please don't be angry with me anymore! Although I intentionally revealed Tang Yunlan's matter to Madam, I only wanted you to give up that idea and stop being entangled with that woman. This Seven Star Island already has everything that belongs to you, so why do you still want to go to those deep mountains?"
Yue Ruzheng held Lian Junchu tightly, and seeing that he still had his jaw clenched and was covered in cold sweat, she cried out in a trembling voice, "Auntie! Please don't say anymore! He's not Lian Haichao! He's not!"
Mingyu was stunned by her sudden shout. At this moment, Lian Junchu, panting, slightly opened her eyes and said with difficulty, "Ruzheng... what should I do?"
Yue Ruzheng's heart tightened. She could clearly feel his body still trembling. On the other side, Mingyu slumped to the ground, his eyes dim as he looked at Lian Junchu.
When Yue Ruzheng saw Lian Junchu almost fainting before, she was just panicked, but now, after his question, she seemed to suddenly come to her senses.
"If it weren't for everything your aunt did, your mother wouldn't have died, and you wouldn't have lost both arms, would you?" She stared at Lian Junchu, her hands still caressing his cheeks, but they had already lost their warmth.
Lian Junchu's dark, clear eyes were filled with tears, but they seemed to have frozen and did not fall.
He breathed in the same cold air, his heart still throbbing with pain. He wanted to say "yes," but those two simple words were now impossible for him to utter.
It felt like something was blocking my way, pressing heavily on my heart.
Tears streamed down Yue Ruzheng's face, soaking her clothes like scattered white plum blossoms.
"But she thought your father had taken me away, so she came to you for revenge..." Tears welled in her eyes, and a strange smile appeared on her face. "Little Tang, it turns out the person who caused you to lose your hands was actually me."
Without Yue Ruzheng's support, Lian Junchu might have collapsed to his knees at that moment. He had never felt such despair before, not even when he saw Yue Ruzheng trying to steal the Beauty-Preserving Pearl on Seven Star Island. It wasn't even despair, but a feeling that everything was an illusion.
He wanted to kill Mingyu, but he couldn't move.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn't make a sound.
In his hazy consciousness, he only felt Yue Ruzheng always nestled against his heart. He didn't know how much time had passed before he blankly raised his head, his gaze unfocused, and said, "Ruzheng, can you let me kill her?"
Yue Ruzheng's breath hitched, and her mouth was filled with a bitter taste.
Before she could answer, Lian Junchu chuckled to herself, "You can't do it, can you?"
"Xiao Tang!" Yue Ruzheng gripped his sleeve with her icy hands, her voice trembling, "I don't know what to do!"
He lowered his head extremely slowly, his face deathly pale. "I want to be alone for a while."
Yue Ruzheng was stunned for a long time before slowly letting go of his hand, his sleeves fluttering in the night wind.
Mingyu sat alone in front of Tang Yunlan's grave, muttering to herself. Yue Ruzheng watched as Lian Junchu wandered aimlessly into the depths of the pine forest as if she had lost her way, and felt as if something had been ripped out of her heart.
She stood frozen in the wind, as night gradually deepened, and the mountains grew even colder after the rain. Finally, she couldn't resist any longer and followed in the direction he had gone.
The pine forest was serene and secluded, with jagged rocks. On the steep cliff, Lian Junchu sat under the moonlight, facing the vast sea of clouds, her dark blue robe seemingly covered with frost.
Yue Ruzheng stood behind him for a long time. She was only a few feet away from him, but this short distance seemed like a deep chasm that was impossible to cross.
All along, she had only worried about whether she and Xiao Tang were related by blood, so she was eager to find out the answer, but now the answer no longer mattered.
This is the most ridiculous and pathetic thing ever.
The two believed that their meeting was ordained by fate. Their first encounter on that rainy night and their youthful years in Nan Yandang were actually just the aftermath of a tragic love affair.
She deeply hated that woman for not even sparing nine-year-old Tang, and had even wanted to avenge him, but in reality, it was all because of her.
...If it weren't for me, would Xiao Tang have lived a self-sufficient life with his mother forever, nestled among the clouds and mist of Tiantai Mountain?
The wind on the cliff dried the tear stains on Yue Ruzheng's face. She took a deep breath and walked behind Lian Junchu.
He remained seated, staring blankly ahead.
She thought she had cried all her tears, but they welled up again involuntarily. "Little Tang..." Yue Ruzheng knelt down beside him and slumped against his shoulder.
Lian Junchu turned her head slightly to the side. She could feel his familiar breath, his familiar scent. Countless times in the dead of night, she had longed for his soft breathing. Even though his body appeared incomplete to others, she never felt anything amiss in her heart.
--By the way, I still don't know how to address you?
--My surname is Tang.
--My surname is Yue, Yue Ruzheng.
For some reason, in this clear and vast realm, the initial conversation suddenly resurfaced in her mind.
"I'm sorry!" Yue Ruzheng cried out, hugging his slightly cold body, unable to stop for a long time.
A tear rolled down his cheek, silently tracing a line between Yue Ruzheng's brows, eventually merging with her tear.
It's late at night.
The crescent moon hung high in the night sky, casting its clear and pure light in its final moments before disappearing. This magnificent scene of the moonlit night was both serene and grand. Clouds surged, and the moonlight spread, reaching from the highest heavens to the deepest hells. All things in the world seemed to awaken at this moment, prostrating themselves under the flawless moonlight, blooming like the pure and untouched Udumbara flower.
Although it was early spring in February, the mountain cliff was still bitterly cold. Yue Ruzheng clung tightly to his side, still wanting to warm him with herself, just like before.
Lian Junchu hadn't said a word since she arrived, and Yue Ruzheng's heart sank to the bottom. She knew that what she was doing now was in vain, but she still couldn't bear to let go.
"I want to hug you again, Xiao Tang." She looked up, her voice tinged with sadness.
Lian Junchu pursed her lips tightly, remained stunned for a long time, and finally turned around.
Yue Ruzheng sat in front of him and gently embraced him with her arms outstretched.
"You won't forgive me, will you?" she whispered to herself against Lian Junchu's chest.
Lian Junchu's heart clenched; he couldn't bear to see Ruzheng so sorrowful. "Ruzheng, don't say that..."
"Give me a hug too," Yue Ruzheng pleaded, seemingly unconcerned about his response, her voice so soft it was almost blown away by the wind.
Lian Junchu lowered his head and remained silent. Just like that year on the beach, he bent his knees, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed her tightly against his chest.